The present invention relates generally to a window hinge and seal for flexibly connecting together two adjacent panes. More particularly, this invention relates to a folding hinge and a weather seal for connecting together two adjacent panes in a window of an automobile having a fold-down convertible top.
Automobiles having fold-down convertible tops are well-known in the art. These fold-down tops have traditionally included a rear window in order to provide visibility to the rear of the automobile. Usually the rear windows employed in these automobiles have been made from a flexible plastic material. Rear windows made from a flexible plastic material, however, have tended to become brittle and crack over time. Also, such windows have tended to lose their transparency over time due to discoloration, scratches, and the like.
In view of the disadvantages of plastic rear windows, windows made from other transparent materials, such as glass, have been proposed for use in convertible tops for automobiles. In order to use rear windows made from a non-flexible material, such as glass, the rear windows must be of a size to permit the convertible top to fold-down for compact storage. As an attempt to achieve a permissible size for smaller automobiles, it has been proposed to use a folding glass window made from two glass panes connected together by a flexible hinge.
Attempts have been made in the past to create a flexible hinge capable of connecting together two glass panes for use as a folding rear window in a convertible top. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 4,799,727 discloses a flexible hinge for connecting together two glass panes of a rear window for use in a convertible top. This hinge is made from a unitary extrusion of flexible material having two opposing U-shaped channels joined together by an intermediate hinge segment located to one side of the unitary extrusion. A portion of each of the two opposing U-shaped channels extends above the surface of each pane, which may interfere with the scraping of ice and snow from the window. Further, since a substantial amount of stress tending to pull the two panes apart occurs at the intermediate hinge segment when the automobile top is in the up position, the strength of this hinge is questionable.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,761,916 discloses another flexible hinge for connecting together two glass panes of a rear window for use in a convertible top. This hinge comprises two movable gasket members which are each individually bonded to one of the two window panes. The movable gasket members are interconnected along generally adjacent sides by a flexible hinge web. The gasket members and the flexible hinge web are integrally molded from urethane or a urethane-containing material as a one-piece structure. Again, a portion of each of the two gasket members extends above the surface of each pane, which may interfere with the scraping of ice and snow from the window.
Accordingly, there remains a need for an improved flexible hinge having sufficient strength to connect together two transparent panes of a rear window in a fold-down convertible top for an adequate number of folding cycles. Further, there remains a need for an improved flexible hinge which will permit the window in which the hinge is employed to be easily scraped to clear it from ice or snow.